Vacuum fuel-feed tank



July Z2 1924. W. E. HART VACUUM FUEL FEED TANK Filed May 15, 1923 FIGURE 6 FIGURE .5

FIGURE 2 FIGURE 7 FIGURE INVENTOR FJGURE 5 ATTORNEY Patented July 22, 1924.

rare i WfLLiAI-II E. HART, on NEAR sAnJos'E, (anaemia.

vacuum Tuna.

Application fiiednay 15, 1-92 2. serial No. 639,143.

um Fuel-Feed Tanks, of which the following is a specification.

It is one object of this invention to providean improvedform of vacuumfuel feed tank wherein the telescoping chamber eon-- struction common to such devices is; eliminated.

It is another object of my invention to provide a structure of the character indicated that has the fuel intake and discharge, and also the suction pipe whereby. the fuel is drawn into the tank connected to the lower end thereof. I, It is afurtherobject of my invention'to, provide a'devi'ce of the character indicated wherein the several chambers and conduits are, with the exception ofthe short connec tions to the valves, formed in oneintegral whole.

Finally, it is an object of the-invention tov provide'a device of the character indicated that will be simple in form, economical to manufacture, quickly and easily] assembledand disassembled,- and highly eificientin its practical application. In the drawing Figure 1 is--aside elevation of myin vention. Figure 2' is a top plan view of thesame: Figure 3 is a bottom plan" View of the same; 1 Figure 4 is a sectional view on line of Figure 2.

Figure 5 isa sectio'n on line 55" of Fig ure 2", parts being broken away.

Figure 6" is a section on 6 6' of Figure 2, partly broken away.

Figure 7 is a sectional view on line 77 of Figure 1.

Referring more articularly to the draw' ing, 1 indicates a sheet metal tank of suit able dimensions having its four corners partitioned off as at 2 to form conduits'3, 4 5 andt, these conduits being closed" at their upper ends, but conduits 3,- 4" and; 6" being fitted with short tubes 7, 8 and 9 res ecg tively. The lower end of conduit 3"is' closed off from the interior of the tankbut' is rovided with an opening" 10 by meansof which connection may be made to the manifold of an internal combustion engine, not shown, and desired suc't1on created in conduit 3. Conduit lscommunlcates with the interior of the tankat its lower endand a pipe ll-is fitted into the bottom of the tank 1 and. extends upwardly a distance into conduit 4 ass'hown, this pipe providing an outletfrom.

the tank through which fuel is conducted to the carbureter not shown. Conduit 6 is also closed off from; the interior of the tank but is provided-with apassage 12 by means of which fuel is admitted thereto from a supp lly tanlrnot' shown.

T e interior of tank 1 is also divided'into two chambers as? 18 &I1Cl'14:,tl16 latter being thefioatchamber and communicating with chamber 13 by means of tube 15 extending downwardly to a point near the bottom of" chamber 13, I-nthe bot-tom of chamber 13' is arranged an opening. 16 fitted with a plug 17 c-arryjing abow 18 having an orifice 19 therein; Loosely arranged in orifice 19 is a-pin=20carrying a disc 21 and flattened out and twisted as at 22 to'form a vane insertible in tube 15.

The'chamber 14k is, fittedwith-afloat 23 havinga stem 24engagingtube 15 and pivoted to a lever 25. Lever 25'ispivoted to a support 26 on cover 38 at one end and to anar-m 27 at the other end, the arm 27 extending upwardly andb'eingpivotally connected to a second arm 28; Ann 28' is" pivotally connected to a valve operatingarm 29'pivotal'lymounted 011* hangers 30 intermediate its ends; and, a spring-'31 connects the outer end of arm 29 with the upper end of arm 27. Lever 25 is'provided with shoulders 32 to limit its movement in either direction, and valve stems 33, Mare connected to the outer end of arm- 29 as shown. From the foregoing it. may be clearly seen that the lowering of float 28 causes spring 31. to move downwardly past the pivotal connection'between arms28'and 29 whereupon, by virtue of its resiliency, it quickly snapsv into the, position shown in dotted lines at thereby reversing the positions of valves 36, 37 on stems 33', 34 respectively.

At 38 is shown a cover secured on tank 1 by means of "a bar 39 passing thereover and engaging 'slot's' $0 in" bars 41 pivoted to opposite sides of tank 1 as at 42. hen gasket 1-3 i's 'inposition the top may be securedtightly in positionby tightening up set screw 43 in bar '39 and engaging the top of cover 38.

Cover 38 has a conduit 44 formed therein closed at its outer end by a removable plug 45 and communicating at its inner end with tube 7, when the cover is on tank 1, and through tube 7 with conduit 3. This conduit 44 is provided with a valve seat 46 to receive valve 36.

At 4'7 is a second conduit in cover 38 closed at its outer, end by a removable plug 48 and communicating at its inner end with conduit 4 in tank 1 through tube 8. This conduit is provided with a valve seat 49 directed oppositely to valve seat 46 and receiving valve 37. An air vent valve is shown at 50 removably inserted in cover 38 to communicate with conduit 47 and fitted with a cork valve 51 normally resting on a pin 52 but under pressure from within movable outwardly to close passage 53 in said valve.

At 54 I provide another conduit in cover 38 provided with a removable plug in its outer end and at its inner end communicating with conduit 6 through tube 9 when the cover is in position. This conduit also communicates with chamber 14 in tank 1 at 55 and is fitted with a screen 56.

It is here briefly pointed out that the part 21, 22 is the only movable part mounted on tank 1. The float and its operating mechanism and the valve structure just described are all mounted on the cover 38 and are removed form the tank when the cover is removed and are, therefore, readily accessible.

The operation of the device, it being assumed that it is properly connected to a supply tank, a carbureter, and the manifold of an engine, the valves being in the position shown, is as follows.

The suction from the manifold draws air out of chamber 14 through valve 36, 46,

conduit 44, tube 7, conduit 3 and passage 10. The exhaustion of air from chamber 14 draws liquid fuel into the same through conduit 54, tube 9, conduit 6 and passage 12. As the liquid drawn into chamber 14 rises it raises the float 23 until the valve operat ing mechanism is operated as heretofore de scribed, whereupon the valve 36 is closed and valve 37 opened. This action shuts ofi the suction from the engine and opens the chamber to atmospheric pressure. While the arrangement of valve 51 permits air to enter at all times yet if undue tipping of the tank causes liquid to flow out through tube 8 it will close the port 53 and prevent loss of fuel. As the float falls on account of use of fuel it will of course reverse the positions of the valves and permit a new supply of fuel to be drawn into the chamber 1.4.

The tubular passage 11 extends to aheight above the bottom of tube 15 in order to keep the end thereof wet and obviate the necessity of priming. The chamber 13, is, of course,

ordinarily kept full of liquid from chamber 14 through tube 15. It is necessary to quickly and accurately close tube 15 when fuel is being drawn into chamber 14, and this is accomplished by the disc 21 seating against the lower end of tube 15, its action being quickened and rendered accurate by its being revolved through the action of the liquid on the twisted part 22.

It may now be seen that I have provided a device wherein all of the exterior connections are made at the bottom thereof, thereby permitting placing the device higher up than is possible with the usual form of construction and permitting the removal of the cover by simply loosening the clamp and without disturbing any of the connections to the device.

It is to be understood, of course, that,

while I have herein shown and described one specific embodiment of my invention, changes in form, proportions, construction and method of operation may be made within the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A tank of the character indicated comprising a shell having at least three corners partitioned off to form conduits, tubular elements arranged in the upper ends of said three conduits, one of said three conduits having communication with the interior of said shell at its lower end and having a discharge passage arrangedtherein, and the other two of the said three conduits being closed off from the interior of the shell but communicating with the exterior thereof at their lower ends, and a partition arranged in the shell to divide the same into upper and lower chambers ,and a conduitconnecting said chambers.

2. A tank of the character indicated, comprising a shell having conduits arranged therein and extending longitudinally thereof, one of said conduits having communication with the interior of said shell atits lower end and having a discharge passage arranged therein, and the second and third of said conduits being closed off from the interior'of said shell but communicating with the exterior thereof at their lower ends, a partition arranged in the shell to divide the same into an upper and a lower chamber, a conduit depending from said partition and communicating with said chambers, and a liquid pressure operated valve mounted in said last mentioned conduit.

7 3. A tank of the character indicated, comprising a shell having conduits arranged therein and extending longitudinally thereof, one of said conduits having communication with the interior of said first shell at its lower end and having a discharge passage arranged therein, and the second and third of said conduits being closed off from the interior of said shell but communicating with the exterior thereof at their lower ends, a partition arranged in the shell to form upper and a lower chamber, a conduit depend ing' from said partition and communicating with said chambers, a cover for said shell, a float and float operated mechanism including a pair of oppositely acting r valves mounted on said cover and insertable in said upper chamber, and conduits controlled by said valves arranged in said cover.

4:. A tank of the character indicated comprising a shell having conduits arranged therein longitudinally thereof, a partition arranged therein to form an upper and a lower chamber, a conduit depending from said partition and communicating with said chambers, one of said conduits communicating with said lower chamber and having a fuel discharge arranged in the lower end thereof and communicating with the upper chamber at its upper end, a second conduit having a fuel inlet arranged at it lower end and a discharge into the upper chamber arranged at its upper end, a third conduit provided with an outlet at its lower end and communicating with the upper chamber at its upper end, oppositely acting valves arranged to control communication between said first and third conduits and said upper chamber, and float operated mechanism for simultaneously operating said valves in op posite directions.

'WILLIAM E. HART. 

